SCC Runs on Empty in Second Half and Loses, 85-74

Southern California College tried to run Westmont College out of the SCC gym but ended up running out of gas, losing to the Warriors, 85-74, in a NAIA Division 3 game.

The Vanguards had their transition game in high gear in the first half, building a 10-point lead midway through the half. Ken Bardsley led the Vanguards in the first half with 11 points, most coming on jump shots off fast breaks. Sherwin Durham, who had missed five games due to academic ineligibility, added eight points and didn’t seem at all rusty as he commanded the SCC attack.

Defensively, the Vanguards sagged in on Westmont’s leading scorer, 6-10 center Troy Knechtel, limiting him to just four points in the half. With the Vanguards taking away the Warriors’ inside game, guards Mike Moore and Jeff Crosby could only manage eight points between them from the outside. SCC had a 41-35 lead at half and a seemingly strong hold on the game.

“I don’t know if that’s the best half of basketball we’ve played, but we certainly were executing well,” SCC Coach Bill Reynolds said.

However, in the second half SCC was not able to deny Knechtel any longer. He scored eight points in the first three minutes of the half, as Westmont scored on its first five possessions. By the time Moore put in Torrey Larson’s missed shot with 17:10 left in the game, the Warriors had a 47-45 lead.

Westmont increased that to 50-45 in less than a minute when Knechtel, who ended the game with 15 points and 8 rebounds before fouling out, converted a three-point opportunity.

Forward Darryl Jones, a transfer from San Jose State who became eligible Jan. 1, led the Warriors with 17 points. Moore added 16.

While Westmont was gearing up, the Vanguard offense was misfiring.

“We knew to get back in the game we’d have to stop their transition game,” Westmont Coach Chet Kammerer said. “Once we stopped that, well, that was the real turning point of the game.”

Forced to set up, Vanguard shooters went cold, most notably Bardsley, who missed all seven of his shot attempts in the half. The Vanguards went over four minutes of the second half without scoring.

However, with Randy McAllister, who scored 11 second-half points, leading the way, SCC was able to tie the score at 69 with 4:05 left on a Greg Ward turnaround jump shot. Ward had 12 points and 10 rebounds, 9 in the second half.

However, it was Knechtel who put the Warriors up for good, hitting a short jump shot just seconds later.